Middle Pleistocene cold stage climates in the Mediterranean: New evidence from the glacial record

A major reduction in summer temperatures during a Middle Pleistocene glacial cycle caused the most extensive glaciation recorded in the Mediterranean region. Glaciers in the mountains of Greece formed during marine isotope stage (MIS) 12 (474000-427000 years BP) under climatic conditions characterised by mean summer temperatures at least 11 degrees C cooler than today and annual precipitation of <= 2300 mm at the equilibrium line altitude (1741 m a.s.l.). This represents the coldest mean summer temperatures recorded in Greece during at least the last 430000 years. Later Pleistocene glaciations (MIS 6 and 5d-2) were characterised by warmer summer temperatures and higher annual precipitation. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.